Snatcher Tournament On Upper And Lower Mission

  

3rd Darrren, 2nd Larry, 1st Chuck

Conditions: 75-90℉, Mostly Sunny, 5-35mph S SW

My boater was Al Steinbauer, who was also my boater the last time we were on Mission Lakes in 2020.

The Day:

We started in the NE Corner of Upper in the wind, where it was blowing 5 to 10 for the first couple of hours. I lost my first two bites most of the way in; both bites felt like good bass, but I didn't see either. I caught a 6" sunfish on a Dark Sleeper. I then got a keeper or two on the Bunker Hawg. I got a good-sized dogfish to the boat on the Bunker Hawg where I played it until it got off. I could have had Al net it, but I could see by how it was hooked that it probably wasn't necessary. I got one last small keeper on the Bunker Hawg and caught a non-keeper and a pike. I threw the spinnerbait for a while in the morning and got bumps and hits, but they were not hooking up. I think Al had a limit by the time we finally moved.

I think we then went to the point by the Upper Mission Access; it was blowing pretty good by now.  Al upgraded a time or two there. I got a pike, got bit off a couple of times, and caught a short bass or two. We then moved across to a spot on the South Shore. Al culled, and I got my biggest and final keeper of the day here. I also got a pike and bit off again. 

We went back to our starting spot. I can't remember if we got anything or not. We then went to a couple of places on Upper and didn't get any bites. We then went to Lower. Bill Ludenia was where Al wanted to hit. I got to fish some pads/reeds here with a frog, but only for about 10 minutes. We hit a dock, I suggested, and Al lost a bass he said wouldn't help him. We went to another spot, at which time Al's front graph became nonfunctional for the rest of the day. I lost something here on the Big Blade Chatterbait. We then went back to Upper Mission and fished reeds at my suggestion. I really should have asked Al to take over the front of the boat because his boat control wasn't precise enough;  I ended up catching a dink and losing a 2lb plus fish in the reeds on a spinnerbait; Al also lost something shortly after I lost that 2lber. We re-fished everything on the East end of Upper, and all I got was a few more dinks, a pike or two, and a 9" pumpkinseed on a spinnerbait. I thought for sure I was going to get a keeper on that spinnerbait but somehow, it didn't happen.

My Thoughts: Mission fricken lake! Mission Lake just kicks my butt some days. It's like I was fishing on a different lake from everybody else. The wind was something else, and I was just too far out of touch, having been bedridden for most of the month.  Had the wind been more reasonable I would have caught a limit.

Grade: D+

The day is saved from a F by the wind and my legs and back being at about 80%.

Results: I finished in last place 14th out of 14 Anglers

Snatcher Mission Lake Plan and Rods I'm bringing

Snatcher Al And I Ride Again

 

The Plan: Catch me some big bass!

Goals:

1. Get a limit (I failed to do this back in 2020 on Mission, Al was my boater then as well.)

2. Win Co-Angler Challenge

3. Get the days Lunker

4.  Finish in the Top 5

Rods:
I'm bringing:

7'4" H Tatula Elite (Frog)

7'4" H Tatula (Swim Jig, Spinnerbit)

7'4" H Tatula (Chatterbait)
7'4" H Zillion (Swimbait)

7'4" H Tatula (Swim Worm)

7' H Avid (Craw Tube)

6'10" MH Tatula (Chatterbait, Ned, Ozark Rig, Neko)

6'9" H Tatula Elite (FC) (Jig,Chatterbait, Spinnerbait, Craw Tube, Ozark Rig, Fluke, Dark Sleeper)

6'9" H Tatula Elite (Braid) (Jig, Chatterbait, Spinnerbait)

How Bout Those Steinbauer, Kids

Snatcher Chuck on Gull Lake Last Summer

Al and I when he took 1st at Little Boy/Wabedo

The man, the myth, the legend, Mr. Charles Steinbauer, on the strength of a solid Day 2 catch on Leech Lake, qualified for the 25-boat Day 3 cut at the Minnesota B.A.S.S. Nation Tournament of Champions. Chuck's younger brother Alan made the cut in 9th on the Co-Angler side. I'm pretty bummed that circumstances worked against me, so I couldn't be there to congratulate them in person and possibly be fishing with them today. I was planning to fish the T.O.C. this year, but things didn't work out for me to make it.

The Top 6 at tournaments end punch their ticket to the National Championship, and the Top 16 qualify to go to the Regional with another chance to make the National Championship, where a birth in the Bassmaster Classic is the prize.

Snatch 'em up today, boys!

My Snatcher North Long Tournament Recap

 

Caught Me A Good Speck on a Dark Sleeper

Tourny Champ Keith Tuma

Conditions: 60-78℉, Cloudy with occasional light rain, 3-15mph SE 

The Day:

We started on the South end of the Lake to the West of where Nate started fishing cabbage beds. We stayed in the same 150-yard or so stretch until about 11 AM. I had my limit in the first hour and forty minutes. Al put the first 3 bass in the boat. I'm pretty sure my first fish was a pike on the Big Blade Chatterbait. That Big Blade Chatter was my hot bite in the morning. I think I lost one quality bass after it buried me in the weeds. After I got my limit. I struggled to get bites from keeper bass, getting pike, and a couple of dinks. I should have thrown the Dark Sleeper as the fish Al was getting on the Craw Tube were better quality on average than my Chatterbait fish, with one or two exceptions.

We then went to 371 Bay when the wind was howling around 11AM. I got my big bass (2/15)  in 371 on the Dark Sleeper on our first pass in 371, I was a bite machine with that Dark Sleeper pulling in small pike, rock bass, dink bass, and I culled up a couple of times and one nice crappie on our second pass. We went back to the starting area. The wind calmed down considerably shortly after we arrived. Nate showed up shortly after and thought we had been there the whole time. Not much was going on until I put on a Neko Rigged Dinger, which caught me 5 bass in about 15 minutes. I culled with  3 of the fish putting all, but one fish over 2lbs on my scale. I could have sworn the second to last fish I got on the Dinger was three plus when it wallowed on the surface, but it buried me in the weeds, and when I got it in, it didn't even help me. Al got us out of there to head to Merrifield Bay. I got a dink on a buzzbait and on a Dark Sleeper, along with a couple of pike in Merrifield. We fished for about 15 minutes in 371 Bay to end things, and I got a pike or two, maybe a rock bass as well. I was hoping my fish would go 14 lbs, and indeed they did, right on the nose.

18Bass 16Pike 3Rock 1Crip 

Results: My fish weighed a respectable 14lbs, but on this day that was only good enough for 13th Place.  The winner was Snatcher Tuma with 18/05; Second Place went to Snatcher Dennis with 17/01 and Lunker (4/08), which edged out Snatcher Fields who also had 17/01. Everybody caught a limit today and the average bag was 14.94lbs.

My Thoughts: Should have gone to the Dark Sleeper at the first stop. A couple of lost fish cost me in this one I think.

Grade: B

Sure 13th Place out of 17 Anglers is C-/D+ territory, but I was just ounces behind my boater on a day when Co-anglers got stomped on and I was only one quality cull away from a Top 10.

  

The Plan & Rods, Snatcher North Long

 

North Long Plan: We both got out and did a little pre-fishing. My trip with Chuck and Lois revealed bass in main lake cabbage in about half of our stops. Conditions are going to be quite different from the day I fished with clouds, wind, and thunderstorms. The fish may be on fire or shut down due to the thunder. I guess I'll find out. North Long hasn't treated me well the last couple of Snatcher Tournaments. I am looking for a little redemption and to beat Tuma. Hopefully, Snatcher Alan of Clan Steinbauer will lead me to a good day of snatchin' 'em. He got Snatcher Checkbook, a limit last tournament here, something I was unable to accomplish due to sucking on how to hook my bites.

Rods I'm Bringing: (Yes, 10 rods, I'm in a Phoenix. I kicked myself for not bringing more the last time I was in Al's boat)

7'4" H Tatula (Frog/Slop)

7'4" H Tatula (Turbo FattyZ, could go to jigs on this setup)

7'4" H Tatula (Chatters, Wake, Traps)

7'3" MH LTB (Carolina Rig) 

7' H Avid (Texas Rig)

7' H Mojo (Texas Rig)

6'6" MH Avid (Texas Rig Pike Insurance)

6'10" MH Tatula (Jig, Sleepers, Jerkbait, Ned) Dock Rod

6'8" M Avid (jig worm, jerkbait,Ned)

Spin:

6'6" MH Veritas (Neko)

Think: Jerkbait, dead sticking, prop bait, texas rig worm.

These were my thoughts this winter on what to try

Snatcher's At Mission Lake, My Plan and Rods

It is going to be hot and I am prepared for it to be a grind.  July tournaments tend to be that way.  The Pre-fish was good. Hopefully, the fish Al found are still there and cooperative.  It looks like it is going to be moderately windy from start to finish, so I think topwater is probably out.

Rods I'm Bringing:
7'4"H Tatula (Frog) Probably won't get used.
7'4" H Zillion (Jig)
7' H Avid (Craw Tube)
7' MH Tatula Elite (Topwater, Traps) Probably won't get used
7' M Avid (Neko Rig)
7' MH Mojo (Chatterjigs)
6'8" M Avid (Topwater, Jerkbait)
6'6" MH 783GLX (Jigs)

6'6" M 782 GLX (Ned Rig)

My Full Whitefish Tournament Report

Conditions: 50-66℉, Partly Cloudy, 3-8mph NE
Water Temps: Low to mid 60's

The Day:
Neither of us pre-fished so we went in basically blind hoping Alan's experience on the Chain would carry the day.  We got off to a pretty good start running across Whitefish up into Loon Lake.  My first bass of the day was a line burner caught on a 105 size Shower Blows.  The only topwater bite I got all day, but wind and weeds forced that hand.  I was surprised by the amount of weed growth in a number of areas we fished.  At the end of the first hour my boater Alan was culling as he got into a spinnerbait bite in the wind.  I managed to pull a 1.75lber off a dock on a 5" Yum Dinger while that was going on.

We moved up to the North shore out of the wind.  I caught a 13-incher on the Dinger casting towards some pads.  Alan spotted some beds and we drifted over a fish that was still there and Al caught it.  It was Al's biggest of the day (3/10) and only smallmouth.  I didn't catch any smallies.  I caught my biggest one of the day (2.50) shortly after Al blind casting the Dinger.  We continued fishing docks and pads until I got my limit and culled once which happened by 9:30AM when we left Loon on our way to Cross Lake.  One of the fish I caught had a Senko and hook stuck in its gullet.  I pulled the Senko out and the darn thing went belly up soon after.

Al decided to give Hidden Lake a quick look and he got three quick small upgrades.  I missed my bites and Al started losing fish as well.  After that, we hit some spots in Cross that yielded only little fish or nothing.  So we then went to Clamshell.  I think Al got one cull there.  I lost a couple of bites that felt like good fish.  We tried Bertha for a little bit getting nothing then headed to Hay to finish the day.  I missed a good fish and got a small upgrade on the bubblegum Super Fluke fishing docks.

I thought I had done OK, but boy was I wrong.

Results:
My limit weighed 11/13 minus 2oz penalty so 11/11 was my official weight which put me in 17th Place out of 20 anglers.  Alan was only 2 places better with 12/11.  The winner was Chuck Fields setting a new all-time record bag for the Bass snatchers at 23lbs.  Tuma tied the previous all-time record with 22-10 getting 2nd Place. The winner of the Co-Angler Challenge was Beau Bacon with 17/4 out of Tuma's boat.

My Thoughts: Not being able to pre-fish this one relegated us to the back of the pack.  We were the only boat without at least a 13lb limit and you had to have 15/8 to crack the top 10.  Neither I or Al anticipated that.  On to Lake Alex.

My Snatcher Whitefish Quick Report

The guys crushed 'em today at Whitefish Chain and Chuck Fields set the All-Time Snatcher Best Bag of Fish with 23-0. Keith Tuma apparently tied the old record with 22-10; At least that is what I thought I heard his weight was. I didn't quite catch my 12lb goal do to some poor execution. I think I landed in the bottom quarter of the field. My boater Alan Steinbauer faired a bit better than me but also had missed opportunities plague him. We had a good time so it's all good.

Bass Snatchers On Whitefish Chain Tomorrow

Tomorrow begins the 12th year of me fishing with the Baxter Bass Snatchers Bass Club. It's amazing how time flies.  Back in 2010, we opened up on Whitefish as well.  We were much farther along in 2010 and that tournament took place on June 5th. My boater is Alan Steinbauer and neither one of us pre-fished.  He's got a bunch of spots and the Whitefish Chain is loaded with bass, so I am sure we will catch our share.  Who knows if we will catch anything for size.  We probably aren't going to try for smallies much.  I better catch a limit and if I can manage to get up to a two-pound average I should be able to have a pretty good finish.

Here are the rods I'm Bringing
Tatula 7'1" MH (Jig/Swimbait)
Mojo 7' MHM (Chatterbait)
Avid 7' H (T-Rig)
Avid 7' M (Senko/Fluke)
Avid 6'8" (Topwater/Jerkbait/Swimbait)
Avid 6'8" (Topwater/Swimbait)
Crucial 6'10" MH (Spinnerbait)
Legend Xtreme 6'8" (Light T-Rig)

Techna AV 6' (Fluke) Dock Rod

Late Rod Add:
Tatula 7' MHM (Big Topwater)

Birch Lake Bass Snatcher Tournament Sept.15th Full Report

I drove up to Snatcher Darren's Place and rode up with him.  When we arrived at Leech, it was blowing to beat the band out of the NNE when we arrived at 6:30AM.  Not a good thing when we were launching out of Horseshoe Bay.  The wind didn't die down, and the tournament director switched us to the alternate lake at about ten to 8:00AM.  So off we went to Birch Lake.  My boater Alan had only fished the lake twice when the club fished here for the first tournament of the year in 2016.  I fished the lake twice in 2016 and twice in 2011 when we fished there on Oct 1st.

The Day:
I think we blasted off by 8:40AM.  Alan and I were boat number 1.  Alan decided that we would run to the farthest west bay in the lake; It's a pad-lined slop bay.  Al got two quick small bass in the boat; One kept, one short.  I missed a bite in the pads and had a pike hook up on the frog over open water where I saw a fish bust.  We got into the open area in the bay.  I hooked up with a bass near a pad patch out in the open on a black/red Terminator Frog.  Immediately after I set the hook, so did Also we got a double.  My bass was my biggest of the day (2/10), and Al's was just a keeper.  I think Al got 2 more keepers in there.  We then went across to an adjacent point and didn't get anything.  So we headed a little farther East and tried some docks and wood on the north shoreline.  I got a pike on a dock.  We worked our way out on a point, and I got a 2lber there on a green pumpkin Jackhammer.  Other than a couple pike, that was all we got.  Next, we headed to the south end of the western basin and started working the weed flat.  I put on a junebug Jackhammer and was quickly rewarded with a small keeper.  We went up and worked the pads for a little bit and tried some reeds to the west, not getting anything but a few pike.  I then suggested we try the channel between the lake.  I got a tiny keeper out of the reeds on the southeast shoreline.  We didn't get anything in the channel.

Next, we headed to where the river goes to Ten Mile Lake.  I had a fish hit, hook up, hang me in some cabbage and get off.  As I was reeling in, I saw a 2lber following my Jackhammer, so I killed it, and the fish smashed it.  I didn't get another bite until we were across the other side of the bay when a 14-incher hit my bone Sprinker Frog in some reeds.  That was my last landed bass of the day.  We went back to the bay we started in, and Al got his biggest bass off the day in the pads.  We worked around the southside pads of the little island. I had a couple of fish hit my Terminator Frog, but I didn't hook up.  Probably just small bass like Al was catching.   Then we tried the south side of the big island, and all I could get was a pike.  And just like that, the day was over.

Results: 
My fish weighed 10lbs 1oz which put me in 14th Place out of 18 anglers.  Al had 2 more ounces than me and finished 13th.  Keith Tuma won it 19/3 and had a 4/04 for the tournament "Lunker."  Dwight Hammermeister, who was in Tuma's boat, came in 2nd and won the Co-Angler Challenge.

This finish makes me finishing in the club Super 6 highly unlikely, but I'm pretty much guaranteed I will reach my goal of finishing in the Top 10

My Thoughts:
My mental state wasn't optimal.  I hadn't fished since Monday, and I was 100% sure we were going to be fishing Leech Lake and had prepared myself for a tough bite there.  My head just wasn't in the game like it needed to be.  It didn't help that the fish never really clued us in.  It didn't help that I didn't have rods and tackle along that would have diversified my fishing options.  I think we probably should have tried a few more docks and definitely fished the eastern basin.

   

Snatcher Birch Lake Quick Report

To much dismay and consternation the weather report at Leech Lake this morning was wrong.  When we arrived at Horseshoe Bay Resort this morning the wind was blowing about 15mph out of the NE.  The worst possible direction.  We ended up going to the alternate lake, Birch in Hackensack.  This move was totally unexpected.  Both Al and I managed to scratch out a ten pound limit and finish somewhere in the back half of the 18 angler field. 

My Snatcher Leech Lake Preview

What will Leech Lake give us?  Looks like fairly East light winds, but with the possibility of thunderstorms to start the day.  I don't know whether or not we are on anything from our pre-fish.  The size we caught was OK, but we didn't get a lot of bites.  That may be do to fishing under unfavorable conditions.  I think the bite should be better tournament day.  I haven't gone fishing since Monday due to the all wind we've been having.  Hopefully, I'll be able to get some sleep tonight and will be well rested for my 3AM wake up.

Rods I'm Bringing:
7'6" MH Mod LTB (Heavy Jig)
7'4" H Zillon (Jig)
7'4" XH Zillion (Frog)
7'4" H Tatula XT  (Frog/Buzzbait)
7'4" H Avid-X (Sprinker Frog)
7'3" MH LTB (Horny Toad)
7'3" MH Lamiglas (Swimbait)
7' H Avid (Crawtube)

My Snatchers Little Boy/Wabedo Full Report

2/13 Hack Jig/Craw Fatty

Conditions: 63-66℉, Cloudy to Mostly Cloudy some light rain, Light Wind SSW to WNW.  I think the water level had come up some from the day we pre-fished.
Water Temp: Mid 60's

The Day:  For the last part of my drive up it was thunder and rain.  I loaded my stuff in the boat in the rain.  I believe the rain quit by the time we blasted off.  We headed North to the inlet.  Within the first 15 minutes we both had a two plus pound keeper in the boat.  I got mine throwing a 1oz Hack Attack Jig along the thick inner reed wall.  The fish really smacked it.  I think Alan then got a fish he culled out later in the sparser reeds.  I had a fish hit my frog and not get it along a cattail wall.  I kept casting back with a black blue Lake Fork Craw Tube and eventually a 1.63lb bass hit it.  I then got a 1.38lb pitching the 1oz Hack Jig in the deeper reeds.  We got over by the closest dock.  I pitched the Hack Jig into the boat lift and caught my biggest bass of the day (2/13).  I had to play it up and over the boat lift frame.  It was barely hooked in it's upper lip.

We then moved to the West side of the upper lake to some reeds, pads, and rice.  While I was putting together my Double Magnum Fluke Alan caught two quality fish on a spinnerbait.  I was fishing again and Alan got at least two more fish before I got bit again.  Alan had just caught a fish in a boat lane.  I cast my Terminator Frog across the boat lane and a 2lber grabbed it.  I then rolled two small fish on the hookset.  I got a 1.78lb fish on the Frog.  I missed a couple of bites.  who knows if they would have helped.  We started  working our way South.  I culled my two smallest with a 2.53 and a 2.31 on the frog.  Alan caught his big bass (4/10) in the pads and reeds on a swimbait.  I thought it was only a high 3lb fish.  I caught a fish or two that didn't help me on the frog.  We got over to where Chuck and Nate were fishing and got out of there.

I think we then went farther south to an area where we got some fish during pre-fish.  Same kind of stuff: reeds, pads, and rice.  I think Alan got maybe one that helped himself and I got one or two that didn't and missed a coupe of hits on the frog.  I think the one's I missed were probably pike.

We went to a weedline spot off of some reeds.  I missed a bite, before getting one that didn't help me on the Craw Tube.  I then missed a couple of bites.  The second one I got a great hookset on and it felt like a really good fish and then it just came off.  The same thing then happened to Alan a couple of times.

We then went back and re-fished our second spot.  I think Alan got one or two more culls and I got one that didn't help.  There was now just a couple hours left.  We went to make a move and the starting battery didn't have enough juice and Alan couldn't get it to jump.  While Al was messing around with the batteries I missed a hit on the craw tube.  We decided to throw traps over the large weed flat/point we were on.  Alan had a big something get off and caught a small bass and I got a pike.  We then headed off at full speed for Little Boy Resort.

   It started to sprinkle a little bit.  We fished a little bit along the way.  Alan picked up a small smallie of a dock.  I think that was the last fish landed for the day.

Alan with the 1st Place "Wood_

Results: My fish weighed 14bs 7ozs, which put me in 10th Place out of 21 anglers. Alan's fish weighed 19/06, which put him easily in 1st Place.  2nd Place was Keith Tuma with 16/3 and Darrin Kiefer got 3rd with 15/14 beating Bill Ludenia on the tie breaker by an ounce on his big fish.   Tyler Czech had a 5lb Lunker.

What my scale said I had

Thoughts:  With the weights packed so tightly above me losing the last couple of hours because of the dead battery probably cost me a higher finish.  After the way the last couple of years ended for me I can't complain too much though.  At least I was culling fish and I got a front row seat to see how it was won.

To make the Top 10 in Angler of the Year I needed to finish in 2nd Place.  I ended up in 13th Place for the year.  I fished much better this year and got to fish with 4 boaters I'd never fished with before.  All in all it was a good year for me even if I didn't reach any of my goals in terms of finishes.  I had the smallmouth on at the Mississippi that would have gotten me "wood" had I landed it.  Oh well, those are the breaks.  On to next year.

Congratulations to Dennis Lothspeich on being Mr. Bass for 2017!

Little Boy/Wabedo Quick Report

Alan Steinbauer took 1st Place with 19+lbs

Had a pretty good day on the water, other than the starting battery dying with two hours left.  Alan couldn't get it jumped, so we trolling motored back to Little Boy Resort.  I weighed 14lbs 7ozs, which I think put me in about 7th Place or so.  The only rod I didn't use was the Horny Toad rod.  I probably should have thrown the Horny Toad some.  They seemed to really like a moving presentation today.   Full report later this week when I get the full results.

Snatcher Little Boy/Wabedo Preview

Tomorrow is my last chance to achieve any of the goals I set for my Snatcher Tournaments back in March.   To make the Top 10 at the end of the year is probably going to require me achieving the goal of a Top 3 finish as well.  Not being able to fish at Thunder Lake probably killed my chances because of the total bomb at North Long.  All I can do is fish hard all day, hope I get the right bites, and am able to land them.  The fish might be chomping🤞.  I like the fact that my boater Alan Steinbauer has a Phoenix boat.  It's wide open layout on the passenger side has plenty of room for me to bring a few extra rods.

Here's what I'm bringing:
7'6" H LTB (1oz Jig)
7'4" H Tatula (Frog)
7'4" XH Zillion (Frog)
7'4" H Avid X (Sprinker Frog)
7'4" H Zilion  (1/2oz Jig)
7'3" MH LTB (Toads)
7'3" H Lamiglas (Mag Fluke/ Swimbait/Swim jig)
7'2" H Tatula (3/8oz Jig)
7'2" MH Tatula (Topwater/Wake/Chatter Jig)
7' H Avid (Craw Tube)
6'10" MH Crucial (Buzzbait/Spinnerbait/Topwater)